Human industrial activities inevitably generate industrial wastes. These industrial wastes primarily consist of inorganic and organic waste discharged by factories, agriculture, fisheries and food processing industries. The high cost of degrading or handling these wastes are borne by these industries. These costs hinder market expansion for these and other related businesses.
Currently, organic waste fermentation and treatment systems have been developed for utilizing waste. Using these systems, one can currently produce biologically active substances such as soil improvement agents, and compost.
It would be useful to manufacture and market a biomass fermentation and treatment method capable of converting wastes produced by fisheries, and vegetable and animal bioprocessing industries into biologically responsive modifiers, animal feed, fertilizer or fermentation agents. Such a method would include a system for treating waste and a new fermentation agent that would be useful in waste decomposition. Using such a system, one would be able to 1) reduce waste treatment costs, 2) prevent pollution of the environment, 3) improve soil, e.g. farmlands, and 4) yield biologically active reuseable substances.
Accordingly, applicants sought a new bacterium capable of degrading lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and wood fiber. Such a bacterium could be useful for many different purposes it biodegradation of waste. This new system of biodegradation would be capable of targeting different types of waste and broadening the applicability of waste degradative methods.
Applicants concentrated on thermophilic bacteria due to their rapid growth. Also, thermophilic bacteria are considered by many in the field to be the safest and most effective bacterium for use in bioprocessing procedures.
Thermophilic bacteria are an ideal choice for the following reasons because they are:
1) well studied/characterized; PA1 2) aerobic; PA1 3) capable of being manipulated for recombinant DNA purposes; PA1 4) able to grow at a specific optimum high temperature; PA1 5) capable of stably maintaining introduced foreign genes; and PA1 6) efficient and predictable expression of introduced exogenous genes to produce exogenous proteins.